1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a locking and latch control device for the door of a motor vehicle and, in particular a lock plate, especially for a side door, consisting of a lever which closes the lock when it is activated either from an inside control in the vehicle or from an outside cylinder lock operated by a key.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,646 of the present inventor describes one form of a locking and latch control device in which, depending on the position of the main lever, it is possible to close the lock by blocking the movement of the outside door-opening control lever, which is accessible to the user directly within the door itself. But this system has the disadvantage of leaving the possibility of applying pressure on the outside control when the lock is closed, which can cause the blocking elements to be deformed to such a point that the lock may be opened by thieves.
Conversely, closing the lock by means of disengagement (in a known manner) of the outside control eliminates this drawback. Moreover, the operation of the device, made very easy by such disengagement, alerts the authorized user to the closed status of the lock. He therefore makes no effort to apply force to the opening handle.
French Patent Application No. 78/34 739 and its supplement No. 79/15 498, also of the present inventor, describe lock-closing devices using disengagement of the opening control, but they involve applications designed especially for the locking of trunk lids by means of a turning knob which incorporates a cylinder.